Linked Header

Friday, June 21, 2013

It's a time-honoured Saint John event that won't be happening this year.

We've received word that the Canada Day Flea has been called off this year, with the those behind it citing liability issues. According to organizer Colleen Hatfield, they were unsure if they would be able to comply with the new guidelines set up by the city and so decided not to have it at all.

Hatfield says she's disappointed but she understands. A flea market will be held on Sunday inside and outside of Exhibition Park instead. This would have been the 26th year of the flea market in the uptown.

It's the longest day of the year,and Tourism Minister Trevor Holder tells CHSJ News our provincial parks might be great for tourists, but places like Fundy and New River are also something we New Brunswickers shouldn't take for granted.As well, there are lots of events planned to celebrate the summer solstice....there's music on the boardwalk all night for Market Square's 30th anniversay, as well as fireworks later this evening.

-6pm Aboriginal Drummers -7pm Tradition -9pm Nothing But A Necktie The fireworks will be after the final band, at dusk.

Contrary to popular belief, sex offender Morgan Earl Smith is not going to be released into the town of Grand Bay Westfield. He will be released into an area under the jurisdiction of the District 3 RCMP, which is the detachment for Grand Bay Westfield

Mayor Grace Losier tells CHSJ News even though he's not being released into her municipality, she feels the handling of his case has been a failure of the system.

Losier says she can't disclose where exactly he's going to be released--but in the future communities need to be better prepared for the arrival of an offender like this.

Opposition Energy and Mines critic and MLA for Charlotte the Isles Rick Doucet is concerned your energy rates could be going up--and the Tories aren't going to tell you about it.

He says it's very convenient that the Electricity Act is going to be changed before NB Power has to have its next rate hearing. The cabinet will not be able to overrule rate increases needed to pay down the debt.NB Power is currently in massive debt and the concern is that debt is going to be paid back by the rate-payers via increased fees.

With the release of sex offender Morgan Earl Smith today , many are concerned at the prospect he will re-offend given that he was supposed to be released in May, but was deemed unfit.

Shelley O'Neil, an activist who wants to see a Sex Offender Registry created in the Province, says it baffles her.

Smith pled guilty in 2002 to sexual assault on a 6 and 7 year old girl. While sex offenders have always been released in Saint John the new policy of informing the community about it has resulted in increased controversy on the issue.

It might seem a little early but an NDP candidate is announcing he is seeking the Saint John Harbour seat next fall.Wayne Dryer tells CHSJ News he ran in the riding in the last provincial vote in 2010.

He says he came within 120 votes of the leader adding he had 32 per cent of the vote.

Dryer says 40 per cent of the constituents didn't not vote in the 2010 election which he says indicates disillusionment among the voting public and he would like to help change that.

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Keith Ashfield has been diagnosed with cancer and is asking the prime minister to excuse him from cabinet to focus on his treatment and recovery. Ashfield issued an open letter today to constituents in his riding of Fredericton explaining that recent tests determined he has Hodgkins lymphoma and treatment has begun. Ashfield suffered a heart attack last year and underwent bypass surgery.

The 61-year-old politician was first elected to the New Brunswick legislature in 1991 and was elected federally in 2008.

A new monitoring system that has been introduced for salaried family physicians.

Health Minister Ted Flemming says the Salaried Physician Monitoring System will allow salaried family physicians and the regional health authorities to determine whether physicians have room in their practices to take on more patients.

Salaried physicians that have space in their practices will be expected to take patients off the Patient Connect NB registry, the provincially-managed registry for patients without a family doctor.

The province has 441 salaried physicians, 105 of them are family doctors.